Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Satellite Communication Systems Overview

Satellite Communication Systems Overview SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS OVERVIEW Satellite communication enables two Stations on the earth to communicate through radio broadcast which are located far away from each other. The two stations use satellite as a relay station for their communication. One of the earth station will transmit to the satellite. This is called as Uplink. The satellite Transponder will convert the signal and sends it down to the other earth station. This is called a Downlink. The satellite communication is advantageous over terrestrial communication because of the huge coverage area and high bandwidth capabilities. The disadvantages of satellite communication are large propagation delay, communication cost and gradual increase in use of bandwidth. The basic factors to be considered in satellite communication are; elevation angle is the angle of the earth surface to the center line of the satellite transmission beam. This angle gives considerable effects on satellites coverage area. Ideally, elevation angle should be 0 degrees, so that the tr ansmission beam will reach the horizon visible to the satellite in all directions. However, there is a minimum elevation angle of earth stations because of the environmental factors like objects blocking the transmission, atmospheric attenuation, and earth electrical background noise. Coverage angle is the measure of the portion of the earth surface visible to a satellite taking the minimum elevation angle into account. [1] It is denoted as, R/(R+h) = cos (ÃŽ ² + ÃŽ ¸)/cos (ÃŽ ¸) Here R is earth radius (6370 Km), h is satellite orbit height, Î’ is coverage angle and ? is the minimum elevation angle. There are impairments like free space loss, atmospheric attenuation caused by rain and fog will create considerable effects during transmission. [1] There are different type of satellite services namely, Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) to offers point to point communication. Broadcast Satellite Services (BSS) to provide satellite television and radio. Mobile satellite Services (MSS) will provide telephony. There are number of satellites orbiting in different orbits. [1] The types of satellite orbits are (GEO) geostationary earth orbit, Medium earth orbit (MEO), Low earth orbit (LEO) Molniya and tundra orbit.GEO satellites are in orbit 35,863 km above the earths surface along the equator. Objects in Geostationary orbit revolve around the earth at the same speed so as the earth rotates. This means GEO satellites remain in the same position relative to the surface of earth. This satellite has large coverage area which almost one fourth of the earths surface. It has 24 hour continuous view of the particular regions of the earth, so it is used for broadcasting and multipoint applications. These GEO satellites have difficulty in broadcasting in near polar region.LEO satellites are much closer to the earth than GEO satellites, ranging from 500 to 1,500 km above the surface.LEO satellites dont stay in fixed position relative to the surface, and are only visible for 15 to 20 minutes each pass. So a network of LEO satellites is necessary for LEO satellites to be useful. A LEO satellites proximity to earth compared to a GEO satellite gives it a better signal strength and less time delay, which is better for point to point communication. A LEO satellites smaller area of coverage is less of a waste of bandwidth. Atmospheric drag affects LEO satellites, causing gradual orbital deterioration. A MEO satellite is in orbit somewhere between 8,000 km and 18,000 km above the earths surface.MEO satellites are similar to LEO satellites in functionality.MEO satellites are visible for much longer periods of time than LEO satellites, usually between 2 to 8 hours.MEO satellites have a larger coverage area than LEO satellites. Tundra and Molniya Orbit Satellites are used by Russia for decades. Molniya Orbit is an elliptical orbit. The satellite remains in a nearly fixed position relative to earth for eight hours. A series of three Molniya satellites can act like a GEO satellite. It is useful for operations in near Polar Regions. [1] International Teleco mmunication Union (ITU) has done the frequency allocation and planning for all satellite services. To facilitate efficient frequency planning, the whole world is divided into three regions. [1] They are, Region 1: Europe, Africa, Mongolia Region 2: Greenland, South and North America Region 3: Australia, Asia, South west pacific Frequency band are allocated within these regions to provide various satellite services. Some of the satellite services are Broadcasting Satellite Services, Mobile satellite services, fixed satellite services, Navigational and meteorological satellite services. [1] Different types of satellites use various frequency bands. They are given in the table below, FREQUNCY BAND OPERATING FREQUENCY (GHz) TYPES OF SATELLITE SERVICE USES L-Band 1-2 MSS S- Band 2-4 MSS C-Band 4-8 FSS X-Band 8-12.5 FSS Ku-Band 12.5-18 FSS and BSS K-Band 18-26.5 FSS and BSS Ka-band 26.5- 40 FSS References: courses.missouristate.edu/HuiLiu/csc690/slides/Satellite.ppt (http://search.missouristate.edu/advanced/courses.aspx)

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Injustices Exposed in Alan Patons Cry the Beloved Country :: Cry, The Beloved Country Essays

Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, is the story of the two fictional characters, Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis, who lose their sons in South Africa in 1948. In his story, Alan Paton used the George Hegel's Dialect of thesis, antithesis, synthesis, in order to expose social injustices in a microcosm of South Africa that correlate to the macrocosm of the issues faced by the entire country and what must be done to fix these injustices. Paton subdivided his story into three books. The first of these books, depicts the Journey of Stephen Kumalo, to try and restore his family, is a cry against injustice. The second book focused mainly on James Jarvis’s plight to understand his deceased son, depicts the yearning for justice. While the final book displays the restoration and repair of the injustices derived from the yearning for justice. The society of the small urban town called Ndotsheni, from which both Stephan and Author come, is based largely on the native African tribal system. This town also suffers from a drought that drives away the young men to work in the mines of Johannesburg. Johannesburg directly contradicts Ndotsheni with no tribal system and the brake down of the moral fibers of its people. Yet in Johannesburg there is also hope for the future and ideas that help lead to the restoration of Ndotsheni. During the time the story is set in Johannesburg the reader is introduced to two exceptionally different characters. The first is John Kumalo, the brother of Stephen Kumalo. He is a corrupt politician with the voice of a â€Å"lion,† but a week hart, who spoke about the injustices of the whites to the blacks and their need to revolt. The other an enlightened priest, Msimangu, who prayed for loving and restoration through coming to amends. Their influences help to shape Kumalo into a new per son. Furthermore, throughout his story Paton stresses the idea of irresponsibility contradicted by individual responsibility. Eventually the idea of unified responsibility is shown to be the only manor by which South Africa can be saved. The partied society in place when Paton wrote Cry the Beloved Country was one of extreme racial inequality and injustice. Paton wrote the first book of his story as a protest to this injustice. This book begins with the description of Ndotsheni and the land that surrounds it.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Culture as a Determinant of Motivation Essay

Why is the study of Different Theories of Motivation important to managers? The World has changed at a very fast pace and will continue to do so. The view point that many prominent researchers had on motivation has also evolved with changing times. There has been a phenomenal change in the way organizations and individuals function in the twenty first century if we made a comparison with how organizations functioned back in the day. There is a significantly greater focus today on employee satisfaction, work life balance, cross cultural values, virtual teams and formal performance management processes to name a few. Globalization is one the key factors which has brought a prominent change in many organizational practices in the twenty first century. Hershey and Blanchard (1977) mentioned that â€Å"motives can be defined as needs, wants, drives or impulses within the individual which are directed towards goals which may be conscious or sub conscious†. Motivation has been defined by Robbins, Decenzo and Coulter (2011) as â€Å"motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained towards attaining a goal â€Å" In this paper we will define motivation as the force which helps an individual focus on his immediate and long term goals and helps him run the extra mile. Also in this essay we will be focusing on the impact of culture on organizational behavior and the reasons why managers need to be aware of various motivational theories so that they are well equipped to handle this impact of culture change. Motivation is a very important tool that is not effectively utilized by managers. Motivation if used effectively can significantly improve the performance of teams and employees. It was thought earlier that motivation could be directed only by external factors, but it is now understood that every employee has his own set of motivators which if addressed correctly can significantly improve a manager and his team’s performance. It is the manager’s responsibility to correctly identify these motivating factors and take all steps possible to address them. But this is easier said than done. As observed in today’s environment there are many issues which create a hindrance for managers to motivate their respective teams. In most organizations because of the growing impetus of globalization and the fact that individuals from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds come on the same platform and work together, it is becoming increasingly difficult for managers to be on top o f these growing trends and continue to motivate their respective teams. It is very important for managers to understand how important the concept of culture plays in the way an employee thinks and behaves. Only when a manager is aware of the subtle changes in an individual’s behavior because of their cultural background, can he actually make a concentrated effort to analyze and evaluate methods to motivate that particular individual. Geert Hofstede’s (1980) theory of cultural dimensions describes how a particular society’s culture influences the behavior and values of individuals using a structure derived from factor analysis. This theory proposed four concepts on the basis of which cultural values could be evaluated; Individualism- collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, power distance and masculinity- feminity. As per Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) power distance is â€Å"the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society†. In countries with high power distance it would not be recommended to give employees a lot of freedom with respect to their work. The employees would be more comfortable when they are abiding by a strict protocol and set guidelines and procedures whereas in countries with low power distance decentralization of power would be recommended where employees can be empowered and inspired to come up with creative ideas in their work. Countries like Venezuela and Malaysia are examples of nations which show High Power distance whereas Denmark and Great Britain are nations which show very low power distance. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) defined the concept of individualism versus collectivism as â€Å"I and Me versus We and Us’†. Cultures where the beliefs are that one is responsible for his own decisions and the general tendency is to take care of only oneself and his own family are individualistic cultures. Collective cultures are those where people rely more heavily on groups and the general tendency is to take care of each other. Individualism is common in USA, Canada and mostly in the West whereas collectivism is more common in Pakistan, India and Brazil. In collective cultures promotions and appraisals are generally done on the basis of seniority, age and loyalty whereas in individualistic cultures appraisals are done only on the basis of merit. In countries where the culture is individualistic strong individual recognition and rewards would be very strong motivators. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) expounded that uncertainty avoidance was â€Å"the degree of risk aversion†. Individuals from Countries with high uncertainty avoidance are generally very wary of ambiguous situations and they create beliefs and situations to increase their sense of security. They have very strong belief in experts and they generally arrive at decisions only with consensus of their entire group. Denmark and Great Britain are examples of low uncertainty avoidance cultures whereas Germany, Japan and Spain are examples of High Uncertainty avoidance countries. Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) elucidated on masculinity versus femininity as â€Å"the desire for material possessions and recognition versus the desire for relationships and family† In masculine societies monetary rewards would make very good motivators whereas in predominantly feminine societies Flexible working hours or more time away from work for family would be very strong motivators. A feminine society is more concerned with family and personal relationships as against masculine societies where jobs are more or less gender based. Examples of such masculine cultures are China, Japan, Philippines, India, Bangladesh whereas examples of more feminine cultures are Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. Some researchers like William Ouchi (Theory Z) and Peters & Waterman(Excellence theory) developed theories on the difference between management practices between Japanese and American business corporations . They firmly believed that most American and Japanese corporations functioned similar to the McGregor’s Theory X & Theory Y where the American companies firmly believed that workers are generally unwilling to work and can be motivated only with economic benefits whereas the Japanese corporations were of the belief that the workers can be motivated by a sense of duty and loyalty. The major difference in the functioning of these organizations was also the fact the managers from the west which are predominantly individualistic cultures could not generally think about the bigger picture and this probably showed in the treatment of their employees. Hence the intrinsic factors of most employees were not catered to. Companies from the East like Japan which is a collective culture showed that managers used to generally behave with their workers like they were a part of a collective unit and this made the employees think about the companies as an extension to their individual self. This made them believe that money and economic benefits were not primary motivators. Such employees were motivated with other factors like by knowledge sharing, improving their self esteem, self respect, achievement, recognition and opportunities for more challenging work. Organizations need to pay utmost attention to the cultural and ethnic sentiments of their employees. Let’s say for instance Multinational Companies who have their setup in India also have to take many factors into consideration like the fact that every state in India has some festivals which have a very strong regional and cultural flavor. Organizations have to keep in mind that even within Cultures there are many sub cultures and the sentiments of the employees within these sub cultures also need to be taken care of. Like for instance in India in the state of Maharashtra the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is of very high cultural and emotional significance whereas in the state of Punjab Baisakhi as a festival is of very high importance. Organizations need to take these aspects also into consideration and keep a correct balance when they are deciding holidays for the employees in a particular culture or sub culture. If the management does not pay attention to the sentiments of their employees, this will send the wrong signals to their employees and they will be unable to identify themselves with the ideals of the company. In such situations motivating employees would become very difficult. Having seen the impact of culture on the behavior of employees and individuals it would be very advantageous for managers to understand the underlying and basic crux of motivation theories. These theories when used in the right context with employees will help motivate them and improve their performance. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of Motivation (1968) emphasizes on core job factors and distinguishes them into two categories Hygiene Factors and Motivational Factors. Herzberg further added that the Hygiene Factors like Pay, Company Policies, Fringe Benefits, Physical working conditions, Status, Interpersonal Relations, and Job Security were only factors that were extrinsic to the work environment and on ly prevented dissatisfaction. These factors never motivated individuals but only prevented the individuals from getting dissatisfied which might further lead to de-motivation. He further added that the motivational factors were intrinsic to an individual and were inherent in work. The motivational factors like recognition, Growth Opportunities, Responsibility, Leadership Quotient, and Meaningfulness of work were what were instrumental in creating satisfaction in an employee and motivating him. What is interesting to know is that in different cultures the motivators and hygiene factors are slightly different. In collective cultures sense of fulfillment and working towards company goal is considered far more important that individual pay and remuneration like in western cultures. Managers need to strike the right balance with employees to properly inspire them to perform better. In order to be able to do this they need to have sufficient background knowledge of the culture quotient of an employee along with certain theories of motivation which might be applicable to those employees. In recent times of financial crisis it has become even more important for managers to understand the key factors which can motivate their employees. Organizations in recent times have become hard pressed to offer economic benefits and rewards to their employees. In such situations it would a great advantage to managers if they have sufficient knowledge of motivation theories like the Equity theory of Motivation which states that every individual has an ingrained instinct to continuously evaluate what is it that he is gaining from the company with respect to what he investing in the company. Individuals also continuously compare themselves with their peers and colleagues. Such theories will help manages keep a right balance and ensure that certain factors which can give impetus to an employee’s dissatisfaction are sufficiently curtailed. They will then start focusing on improving an employee’s soft skills like interpersonal communication, instilling a sense of duty and loyalty towards the organization, making the employees strive for self improvement. Recognition and praise for good work will also be used more effectively used to motivate employees. The uses of motivation theories have become even more important as in most organizations virtual teams have become the order of the day. Employees work with their associates and colleagues whom they have never even met. It has become even more instrumental for managers to instill a sense of collectivism in their teams so that individuals working in a group can transform into a team in an actual sense. As per the survey done by Mckinsey(2010) it was found that most employees in organizations feel de motivated when they are unable to idolize themselves with the leadership of the company. It was also found that the many employees in the organization would feel even more motivated if they were offered a few words of praise from their boss. Like for instance if a manager appreciates the efforts of an employee who is a part of his virtual team whose first language is not English, this will really do wonders for that specific employee. All the small bits when put together make a collage. The study of motivation theories has now become of paramount importance to managers as they really need to understand that small bit which will motivate their team and their associates to do better than they actually can. This is what will separate a manager from a leader and will elevate the performance of a group of people to a team. Bibliography References * Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, Leadership, and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad? Organizational Dynamics, 9(1), 42-63 * Hersey P, Kenneth Blanchard (1977). Management of Organisational Behaviour. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall * Sledge, S., Miles, A. K., & Coppage, S. (2008). What role does culture play? A look at motivation and job satisfaction among hotel workers in Brazil. International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 19(9), 1667-1682. doi:10.1080/09585190802295157 * Blackwell RJ, Miniard PW, Enrgel JF (2007). Consumer Behaviour, 9thed., Thomson Press, London. * Decenzo DA (2001). Fundamentals of Management: Essentials Concepts and Application. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. * Deresky H (2007). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (6th Edition). New Jersey; Prentice Hall * Koenigs, R. (1982). An Interview with Dr. William Ouchi. Training & Development Journal, 36(3), 38 * Herzberg F (1968). ‘One more time: how do you motivate e mployee?’ Havard Business Review, Jan-Feb, 53-64 * Hofstede G (1991) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind.McGraw Hill. * Hofstede G (1980). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Relate Values. Newbury Park CA: Sage. * Dewhurst, M., Guthridge, M., & Mohr, E. (2010). Motivating people: Getting beyond money. Mckinsey Quarterly, (1), 12-15

Friday, January 3, 2020

I Am A Student At Metropolitan State University Of Denver

My name is Heather Shannon and I am a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver in Colorado. I am pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development with a minor in Elementary Education, with hopes of becoming an elementary school teacher. I am very passionate about helping children learn, grow, and become the best they can be. It is very important to me that they help to better themselves and each other while they are in school and I am concerned with how students are treating each other in public schools across the nation. Bullying is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart. I was bullied in elementary school because I was taller and weighed more than the average students in my classes. I was constantly called â€Å"fat girl† by my classmates, and was told that I couldn’t play sports with them because I was â€Å"too fat.† I told my teacher about what was going on and nothing was done. I was also bullied in high school. When I was 16, my mother bought me a brand new car. None of my other friends had new cars, so they became envious. Girls began to write mean things on the windows of my car, put their cigarette butts out on my car, and were telling each other they were going to beat me up. One day in the middle of summer, my friend and I ran into a group of girls from school. They started making rude comments at us, but we chose to ignore them. One of the girls walked up to me and asked me, â€Å"Are you scared yet?† and punched me in my face. My friend and I walkedShow MoreRelatedTransfer Policies Of Transferring From One Institution1250 Words   |  5 Pages With you being assigned as the Southern Regional Education Board President, I am contacting you regarding the transfer policies of transferring from one institution to another. 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